Western Electric 317N

[Sargeguy]

I have a #10 arm that is missing it's base, if you are interested just pay for postage and you can have it.

[War Horse]

Mine is the dark one. The light blonde one is just a picture I found with Google. It was suppose to be a 317 and showed the rectangle base for the transmitter I was talking about. I hadn't even noticed the adjustable bells, odd.

I got the round base and transmitter cup cleaned up and painted. Overall they turned out pretty good. The wife wants me to hang the phone in the living room, so with it all back together I can while taking my time to look for rectangle base. I'd just convert it to a long arm older transmitter, but it has a steep slope shelf, and from what I understand the long arms never came with the steep slope.

I just wanted to say thanks a ton for all the information and help. This is my first wood wall phone, so I'm a complete newbie to the subject. Thanks for being patient and answering all my random questions.

[poplar1]

Notice the diagram in your phone, showing a long arm transmitter. This, and the holes for the rectangular transmitter base, indicate to me that your phone did have a 250 transmitter (long arm). Isn't it possible that a repair shop changed the shelf angle at the same time they installed a newer transmitter? This could have been done years later.

I think that Bob used the wrong photo in his website for the 1916 version of the 1317. Rather, that is a different manufacturer's phone, but with a WE 323 transmitter -- just the face, not the base.

Here is a link to Bob's site:
http://www.telephonecollecting.org/Bobs%20phones/Pages/WE317/WE317.htm

This one has similar text, but a different picture for the 1916 version:
http://www.antiquetelephonehistory.com/we317.html

[Sargeguy]

This one definitely had a No. 10 arm originally. I have a complete #10 that needs a repaint if you need one.  $5 pus S&H

[poplar1]

Both authors give the 1916 date for the change from the long arm to the short transmitter mount.
However, this leaves out an important distinction:

The "C-type" 1317s had only 2 cells, and were not as deep. These always had short arms, either the 3A "butterfly" bracket or the 8A. So, in the 1916 Western Electric Catalog No. 3, the C-type 1317s (2 cells) are shown with the "No. 329W Transmitter with No. 8A transmitter bracket", but the 3-cell 1317s -- such as the 1317N -- have the "No. 350W Transmitter." (The 350, like the 250, has the long arm.)

It's true that by 1923, when Catalog No. 5 was published, the 8A transmitter bracket (with oval base) was used on both the 2-cell and 3-cell 1317s. However, this was not true for all models in 1916.

[poplar1]

1916 and 1923

[War Horse]

Man, this is all such great info.  Who knew combinations of phones could get so complicated, it's fascinating though how the phones just slightly morphed over the years. 

I'm almost positive that my phone originally came with a long arm, or was at least suppose to.  The round base has been on there long enough that under it looks like the original finish for the wood, even better shape than what little is under the bells.  I'd love to take it back to a long arm and a non-steep shelf, but the thought of getting a new shelf match that wood gives me chills.  I know for sure I'd screw it up. 

[unbeldi]

Here is are advertisements for a 1317 by WECo in the (Illinois) Bell Telephone News Magazine in September 1913.

It has the plain front surface, and the low-angle shelf.

Confirms my estimate of 1912-1916 manufacture of the set in this topic.

Looks like it came with a 250 or 350-type transmitter originally, indeed.
It already has the No. 48 generator, 1317 sets were already built while the No. 47 generator was still in use, but the housing had a decorative groove around the transmitter, I believe, which yours is already lacking. So, I think yours was perhaps built between 1912 and 1916 or so.
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